The University of Western Sydney embarked on a strategy to blend all its programs in 2012. Within that it decided to provide all students and all staff with iPads. The magnitude and the speed of the iPad deployment provided huge challenges to all sections of the university, especially IT and learning and teaching. It also challenged the prevailing orthodoxy of on campus lectures and classes and central controlled application usage. This bold initiative has stretched people to the limit, fermented a creative environment and on most measures has gone surprisingly well. Learn of the how’s, the outcomes, as well as some of the dramas along the way.

2. 30,000 iPADS
A licence to thrill

3. Lyn
Blended Learning Manager,
@_Lynnae
nis 15 years as an educational
technologist in higher
education
l.rankine@uws.edu.au
Blended Learning Consultant,
@_uldm
Strategist, business change
manager, convenor of IDEA
events
d.macnamara@uws.edu.au

4. SETTING THE SCENE: UWS IN LATE 2012

6. SETTING THE SCENE: UWS IN LATE 2012

7. • Blended learning just commencing
• Mostly F2F institution
• PC based
• Centrally controlled applications
• Financial shortages and
redundancies in some faculties

8. WHY DID WE DO BLENDED LEARNING?

10. WHAT IS BLENDED LEARNING?
Fully F2F
(no online
components)
Completely online
(no F2F components)
Blended
Technology
enhanced
(no reduction in F2F
contact)
Mostly online
(Online replaces
some F2F contact)
Adapted from: Graham, C., Woodfield, W., Harrison, J. (2013) A framework for institutional adoption and implementation of blended learning in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education. Vol 18, pp4-14.

11. A LICENCE TO THRILL

12. THE ANNOUNCEMENT …

13. … AND THE AFTERMATH

14. THE CHALLENGE FOR IT

19. What about apps?

21. THE CHALLENGE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

22. WE NEEDED TO COVER THE BASICS

26. NOT EVERYONE GOT AN IPAD

27. Some of the things we
did

28. DID WE MENTION WE BOUGHT A LOT OF IPADS?

29. Found
friends
and allies
Basic
training
with Apple
Suggested
apps on
website
Guest
speakers
School-based
workshops
2-day
Summit
More iPals
days
More
training
Stayed
positive!

30. HIGHLIGHTED EXEMPLARS

31. The essence of blended learning is…

32. …ENGAGING ON CAMPUS EXPERIENCES

33. …SYNCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE

34. …INTEGRATED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

36. Hubs – and – spokes
Role Central
Faculty/School
Based
Academic
Development
3 ’on loan’ to Schools
Pedagogical
Support
3 21
Content / resource
Development
3 19

37. IT ADAPTED

38. What were the early
outcomes?

39. Overall

45,000
iPads in total
Some

+ reaction
from staff
+ reaction
from
students
Business
as usual
iPads
integral to
UWS

40. Key success factors

41. KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
Great people
Strong executive
leadership
Being very
flexible
Strong learning
design focus
Staying on
message

43. WHAT CHALLENGES REMAIN?
Enterprise Vs individual app
acquisition
Framework for mobile app
development
Mobile is BAU Online is BAU
iPads are a useful tool –
not a fix all
BYO in 2016

44. Final comments
and
questions

45. THANK YOU 
Lyn
Blended Learning Manager,
@_Lynnae
nis 15 years as an educational
technologist in higher
education
l.rankine@uws.edu.au
Blended Learning Consultant,
@_uldm
Strategist, business change
manager, convenor of IDEA
events
d.macnamara@uws.edu.au